Self-starting internal-combustion engine.



I. A. HEANY.

SELF STARTING INTERNAL COMBUSTION ENGINE. APPLICATION FILED APR.29. m2.

LIGS OOE. Patented De0.7,1915. v

2 SHEETS-SHEET I.

J. A. HEANY.

SELF STARTING INTERNAL COMBUSTION ENGINE.

APPLTCATION FILED APR.29. 1912.

1 ,163,@8. Patented Dec. 7, 1915.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

input .Z-li s JOHN ALLEN HEANY, 0F WASIIING-TON, DISTRIST OF i" I.

SELF-STARTING INTERNAL-OQIVBUSTION- ENGINE.

mesons.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that 1, JOHN ALLEN HEANY,

a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Washington, in the District of Columbia, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Self-Starting llnternal-Combustion Engines, of which the following is a full and clear specification, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 is a side elevation broken away; Fig. 2 is a vertical section; and Fig. 8 is a detail perspective View of the distributing valve employed.

The object of this invention is to so construct the starting mechanism that it shall be built into the engine proper, thereby doing away with the unsightliness, unreliability, lack of durability, and liability to derangement which are necessarily incident to those starting IHBChEIIIISIHS- which are mere attachments to an engine.

I have illustrated my invention as applied to a well known type of-engine (a tour cycle twin-cylinder engine) but it will be understood that the invention is applicable, with modifications as to details, to other types of engines.

This invention has special relation to the type of self-starting engine covered by my copending application, Serial No. 688,634.

In the drawings, a designates the usual working pistons, 7) the working cylinders, c

the p'itmen connecting the pistons to the main crank-shaft (Z, all constructed in substantially the usual manner. Each piston is extended toward the crank-shaft and provided with a supplemental piston 6 larger in diameter than the main piston and working in a supplemental cylinder f formed as a continuation of the main cvlinder.

Entering the extreme upper end of the supplemental cylinder is an inlet portvg, and at the opposite side there is provided an outlet port it, while at the lower end of the cylinder is an exhaust port 2'. lln the engine illustrated in my drawings there are four cylinders and the pistons are adapted to work in pairs, as usual in this type of engine. An outwardly opening check valve 7' is provided at each outlet port it, and all four of the ports 72, are connected together beyond this valve and to an air storage tank is by a pipe Z.

, Each of the inlet ports 52 is controlled by an inwardly opening check valve m, and

cum. u

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Dec, 't, ildllti,

Application filed April 29, 1912. Serial No. 693,589.

these ports are connected together in pairs by the two pipes a. From one of these pipes it depends a pipe 0 and from the other a pipe 7), the lower ends of these pipes 0 and 7') being arranged to open into the upper sideof a circular valve-casing Q, these pipes 0 and 2) being; arranged at opposite sides of the vertical center of this valve cas- At one side this valve casing is connected by a pipe rto a port in another valve casing a. An adjacent port in this valve casing s is "connected to the tank 75 by means of an extension of the pipe r. In the valve casing s is a'valve plug 25 which is provided with a port a which upon properly adjusting the valve plug yvill bring the two parts of pipe r into communication with each other through the valve casing s and which when turned to ancither position will entirely close both partsof pipe '2".

In the valve casing 57 is arotary distributing valve plug o provided with an annular port or passage to adapted at all times to have communication with pipe 1 and with an arcuate port an adapted to alternately bring the pipes 0 and 7) into communication with the port w and pipe 7", This valve n is continuously rotated from the crank shaft of the engine in any suitable manner, pref rably by means or" a shaft or stein 3 and a pair of gears and a.-

It will be observed that the arcuate port a: is suiiiciently long to at all times uncover one or the other of the pipes 0 and p. The valve is so timed that when the supplemental pistons are at the upper extremities of their stroke the port will register with that one of the pipes 0 or p which has communication with that pair of cylinders, so that when there is sufiicient air pressure in the tank 7c and the valve plug 6' is manually adjusted to the position shown in Fig. 1 the compressed air will enter the pair of cylinders in which the pistons are in position to plemental pistons have been brought to the upper extremities of their stroke, and thus the starting operation is made continuous.

As each supplemental piston reaches the lower extremity of its stroke the compressed air in that supplemental cylinder will escape at the exhaust port 2', and upon the return stroke of each supplemental piston the air which is trapped in the supplemental cylinder is compressed therein. In this operation of starting the engine the check valves 7' remain quiescent, they being held closed by tank pressure.

IVhile ,the engine is running under its own power the valve 23 is turned to close the tank branch of pipe 1' and to open the other branch of pipe 1" to the atmosphere through a port I), in the valve casing s, so that with each downward stroke of the supplemental pistons air will be drawn in from the atmosphere through the distributing valve and past the check valves m and. with each upward stroke of these pistons the air thus drawn in will be forced into the tank past the check valves j. The pumping operation ceases as soon as the pressure in the tank is brought up to the degree determined upon in building the engine, this. degree of pressure being dependent on the capacity of the supplemental cylinders and the amount of clearance 0' arranged for at the upper ends of the supplemental cylinders. As soon as the maximum pressure is obtained and the pumping into the tank ceases, then the air entrapped in each one of the supplemental. cylinders at every upward stroke of its piston will be alternately compressed to tank pressure and then expanded to atmospheric pressure, thus providing for an ideal cushioning effect in each supplemental cylinder.

It will be observed that the details of construction may be greatly varied without departing from the spirit of this invention.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. In a four cycle multiple cylinder engine of'the type set forth embodying a. supplemental cylinder and piston of larger diameter than the work cylinders and pistons for each work cylinder and work piston, a tank for compressed air, each supplemental cylinder being provided with a valved outlet connected by a pipe to said tank and also with a separate valved inlet likewise connected by a separate pipe to'said tank, a distributing valve in the pipe connections between the tank and one set of inlet valves, means for automatically operating this distributing valve, and a manually operated valve between the distributing valve and the tank, for the purposes set forth.

2. In a four-cycle multiple-engine of the type set forth, embodying a supplemental piston and a supplemental cylinder for each work-cylinder, this supplemental piston being larger in diameter than the work-piston, an air reservoir, an outlet port associated with each supplemental cylinder and connected with the air reservoir, a check valve associated with each outlet port and opening toward said air reservoir, each supplemental cylinder being provided with an independent air supply port whereby when the engine is running on its fuel, pumping will automatically cease upon the attainment of a predetermined pressure and thereafter the air entrapped in each supplemental cylinder will be alternately compressed and expanded and thus form an air cushion.

8. In a four-cycle multiple-engine of the type set forth, embodying a supplemental piston and a supplemental cylinder for each work-cylinder, this supplemental piston being larger in diameter than the work-piston, an air reservoir, an outlet port associ-' ated with each supplemental cylinder and connected with the air reservoir, a check valve associated with each outlet port and opening toward said air reservoir, each supplemental cylinder being provided with an independent air supply. port whereby when the engine is running on its fuel, pumping will automatically cease upon the attainment of a predetermined pressure and thereafter the air entrapped in each supplemental cylinder will be alternately compressed and expanded and thus form an air cushion, and means whereby the tank pressure and said supplemental pistons and cylinders may be used to start the engine.

In testimony whereof I hereunto aliix my signature in the presence of two witnesses.

JOHN ALLEN HEANY.

\Vitnesses CHARLES D. DAVIS, FRED. B. MCLAREN. 

